In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester to answer at least three of the following questions:
What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements?
How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes?
What features can you plan into your units that might discourage the GOS?
Finally, what impact will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy?
As describe in the reading, I was one of those students who did the least amount of work possible and the teacher never knew. I completed my work just enough so I was never called on yet never fully completed the assignment. I fully accepted and played the game of school as I was growing up. However, being in Mr. Zabel's class is a whole different experience because I compare my high school teachers to him and realize where they went wrong. He tries to eliminate even the possibility of the game occurring. The projects and homework he assigns aren't just so he can say they have homework. I've realized he rarely gives homework unless it directly relates to the core of the lesson. Unlike in my classes where I was told to read, and never did, he assigns maybe a total of three pages of reading with note taking which then get graded. Graded, is a loosely based term in his class. Seeing his point breakdown is amazing, yet his students never realize their note taking homework is a mere five points. But in high school hearing the term "graded" puts pressure on the students to do it. Reading the assignment for homework didn't directly effect my grades so I put it off for later and my teacher never knew. Recently he has me grade a project and it the grading was so loose but his reasoning was that he wanted the students to learn the cycles by creating them on their own. He explained his students learned better with this project in conjunction with his instruction instead of just his instruction.
In his last period biology class, which is always last period, I see a struggle with his students because the class is so large. The kids are hyped up on sugar after lunch and the class is always a mess, every day, no matter what. In this class he struggles to get through the coursework of his smaller class. It pains him but some days they spend way too much time on a certain topic no matter how many time or different ways he tries to explain it. In this case he caves and moves on because he is so far behind. I've talked to him after class and he hates to do it. He wishes he had all the time in the world to answer ever students question and make sure every student understands. He fights the game of school every time he has this class.
I haven't figured out how I am going to accomplish what I envision for my lesson plan but I plan to "trick" the learning into an engaging activity. I can't count the number of times I have been given a worksheet where I read a page and then answer the questions. I find the questions in the reading, copy them down, and turn it in. Ask me to explain what I wrote down and I can't because I just copied. I want to create an activity where, in order to complete it, students understand the lesson. I think where this can be done is in the probability unit in Mendel. I'm working on an activity where you work in pairs and have popsicle sticks and you make your own "baby." However, this baby is all due to the combination in which the popsicle sticks land. What is the statistics of the baby having blue eyes? Then show me, how many times does the baby have blue eyes if you roll those popsicle sticks ten times?
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The game of school in one of my placements is relatively unknown, except for a few instances. The classes I observe are run very much like the Japanese style of schooling mentioned in the Stigler & Hiebert reading in that the students are expected (and given appropriate time to) consider and formulate a response, before engaging in full class instruction about the problem and how it was being solved. Usually, after students had discussed how the problem could be solved, the teacher then corrects any misunderstandings about the material and shows how all the parts are interrelated and go together, while showing the solution to the problem. Students are able to think of a way to both solve and explain the solution to a problem. In my own unit to discourage inactive education, I plan to integrate activities that require critical thinking and discussion with peers. In order to solve a problem students must be able to consider a subject and defend their arguments with the class, which will encourage dialogue and eventually lead to a place where the educator can take over, highlight the correct features of a student’s input, and eventually show how this concept fits into the web of information the students already possess. Lab sessions, while a very easy way to give in to the Game of Schools ideology, also have a place to completely change it. In one observation, I saw a teacher introduce a lab, put students into groups, and left them to try and figure out how to set up the equipment. When I mentioned the students were having trouble putting together the track for a racecar during a physics lab, she told me today was an exploratory session so the class could figure out the mechanics themselves and have a better idea as to how to proceed next class period. In another placement, I saw how easy it was to give students the answers to their questions without even realizing you were doing it for them. In another observation I watched a period in which a special education teacher came to assist since there were five to six special education children in the class. Even during easy in-class projects, it was clear the students knew if they asked a question, they would receive an answer that required no more thought. While I was working with a small group of students I taught them how to use a thesaurus and they couldn’t grasp the idea of an adjective or verb to complete writing a poem about an organelle inside a cell. They did not feel the motivation to complete the work, and I understood how it would be easy to just give in and give them the answers just to finish the lesson. It very much reminded me of the example Fried gives when students have the best reader read to a group in class and do the majority of the work. With a very short instructional time per class and the pressure to cover a certain number of standards, it is overall much easier to show your students how to do it rather than having them learn how to do it themselves. Location: East Providence High SchoolGrade: 10-12 biology (all levels)Date of Visit: October 22, 2013 In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester to answer at
least three of the following questions:
What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements?
How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes?
What features can you plan into your units that might discourage the GOS?
Finally, what impact will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy?
Observation:During the two honors classes that my cooperating teacher instructs, they begin the class by reviewing the previous night's homework. They spend the first five to ten minutes doing this activity. The students were then instructed to take notes from the textbooks in the back of the classroom for the remainder of the period. This note-taking exercise progresses for about an hour, as the school has block scheduling but there are no bells to signal the official start or end of classes. This took place in both honors classes on two different occasions on which I visited. However, the atmosphere in the college prep and collaborative classes, which comprise the rest of my teacher's schedule, are very different. The teacher and her co-teacher (a special educator) do active readings, in-class activities, and guided note-taking with graphic organizers. Reflection:I found my experience at East Providence to be quite paradoxical. On one hand, my cooperating teacher seems to be writing the manual for the "game of school" with the honors classes and then burning that manual in the lower-level classes. The honors students are expected to take their own notes and study materials, and for the most part they do. I personally think that they are wasting precious amounts of class time doing this work. Note-taking skills are extremely important, especially for college preparedness, but it shouldn't encompass the overwhelming majority of class time on a regular basis. In contrast, the middle and lower-level classes did many more activities that involved cooperative learning and active discussion of the content being delivered. These students showed much less boredom in class and overall grasped the content better. It is important to note that at this particular school, many of these policies are mandated by the school administration due to the new implementation of the Common Core State Standards. In order to discourage a hypothetical representation of the "game of school" in my unit plan, I intend to incorporate methods that are unlikely to be utilized in other classrooms. For example, one of my lessons involves making a "biome in a box," an activity where students will reconstruct the atmospheric and climatic conditions of different biomes in a shoe box using materials such as dirt, sand, and water. In regards to my approach to teaching as expressed in my teaching philosophy, this description of the "game of school" further supports my enthusiasm and penchant for inquiry-based laboratory learning. By doing hands-on activities that are unique and intriguing to students, they will hopefully be captivated by the content material and take something meaningful away from my lessons. In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester to answer at least three of the following questions:
What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements?
How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes?
What features can you plan into your units that might discourage the GOS?
Finally, what impact will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy?
What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements?
Thus far in my placement I have seen multiple elements from the game of school play out in my classroom. From the students taking any and every opportunity to interject a topic other than the content under discussion, to students using computers for Facebook when they are supposed to be working on assignments. Sometimes my Ct will go along with the attempts to foil learning such as on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. He realized years before that due to the high level of excitement generated by the cross river rivalry football game with Stonington High School and all of the attendant pep rallies and activities that no content work gets done. ON this day he hands out a work sheet that is due on the Monday after Thanksgiving, the students are encouraged to work on it in class but few do, the talk of the period is of beating the bears, decorating football players lockers, the upcoming pep rally any thing except biology.. Then there are days when he totally refuses to "play" the game of school. On those days when the kids attempt to distract him away from teaching content he turns the inquiry into a science related question. So if a student tries to talk about sports he will being the conversation to the science behind the game. It is educational and fun to watch him shut down attempts to play the game of school.
Observation: In Mrs. Malone's class at Westerly High, I do get the sense that the Game of Schools is being played. The students come in and either listen to a lecture, or do class work that seems to me to be generally busy work. However, the students do not act as if the class is the worst thing in the world. In fact, for the most part, Mrs. Malone's students are hard workers who do what they need to do when they need to do it. Though this may be due to the fact that she teaches mostly honors level classes. I do observe students only doing the minimal work though in most of her classes. That is not true in her hardest class, honors anatomy. These students all seem very eager to learn and take copious notes during a class, even when the entire class is in the lecture format. Also, while watching Mrs. Malone teach, it is apparent that she is not trying very hard to excite or interest her students in any way. She simply teaches them what they need to know. Therefore, I would not say that I have witnessed Mrs. Malone fight the Game of School, but rather take part in it. However, she does not take part in it in an awful way, but simply is a more stern teacher who always puts classwork first.
This is far from what I observe in my middle school placement at Exeter-West Greenwich. Mrs. Brocato actively tries to make her lessons more interesting and fun for her students. She does this through various means including engaging group work, the use of drawing or using models, technology, and meaningful class discussions. In these ways, Mrs. Brocato is fighting the Game of School. Her students are attentive and constantly willing to volunteer information when asked questions. They also seem to enjoy many aspects of class. That is not to say that every student acts in this way. There are still a few students who are definitely playing the Game of School. These students generally do not raise their hands and only do the bare minimum to get by, if that. Thankfully though, these students are the minority in Mrs. Brocato's classroom.
Reflection: In all honesty, this article on the Game of Schools has added to my already growing concerns about the education system. I am finding in my last year of URI that being a teacher is not what I had thought it would be when I enrolled in the school of education. In high school I always connected most with those teachers who seemed to really enjoy teaching, and who had fun and engaging lessons. But did those teachers only teach that way because they already had tenure and started teaching when education was different? How can new teachers hope to have a fun and meaningful career in education when new standards and new systems are constantly being pushed to stifle creativity, focus on test scores, and demand that teachers reach every single student or lose their job? When I listen to my cooperating teachers talk to other teachers, it seems like all they do is complain about the administration, standards, and students. I never hear them praise students, but only talk about the ones that are trouble. I hear them constantly talk about all the extra work they have to do to meet the needs of students that should be taught by a special educator, and not with all of the other students. I hear how they have almost no time to spend with their families or do anything other than school work. But most importantly is what I do not hear. I do not hear any enjoyment from teaching. I do not hear anything positive at all..
What features can I include in my lesson plan to fight the Game of Schools? Well, that is an interesting question. I suppose I could try acting and being super energetic and creative like David Burgess. But on top of all the extra work that standards are forcing teachers to do nowadays, will that leave me with any time to spend with my family? I do not know. If I do continue with education, I would try my best to include interesting group work that requires complex thinking and creativity. I would also try to include many interesting visuals and videos to excite them about science. Most importantly I would stress upon them the wonders of the natural world, and how amazing science can be. For instance, ins't it astounding that we are made up of trillions of cells, that all work together to keep us alive? I would do all those things if I continue with education. The problem is I am no longer sure that education is something I want to be a part of. If this is how bad our education system is now, then how bad will it be five years from now, or ten? Will the higher ups in education continue to crush creativity? Will they demand that every single student pass standardized tests and punish the teachers if this does not happen? I am starting to think that they will, and that education will never be what it once was. Observation / Reflection #4: The Game of School
In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engages in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester to answer at
least three of the following questions:
1.) What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements?
2.) How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes?
3.) What features can you plan into your units that might discourage the GOS?
4.) Finally, what impacts will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy?
Observation/Reflection:
“It’s as though by the middle of first grade they’ve already figured out that school-or at least homework- is a trick, something to learn how to get around.” This quote in Ron Fried’s Game of School hit home as I did this all throughout my academic career until now. I have always been a poor reader and if any reading assignments were given I would find a way to get around it. I always passed but never really took anything away from the assignments except for figuring out how to beat the system. It is a skill in itself, but one that can detract from real growth in learning a skill such as reading, writing and analyzing.
There are many students like myself in schools today who will always look for a way to beat a system or game. Both of my cooperating teachers fight the game of school in their classes everyday. Mr. Borgueta assigns work that must be done thoroughly as students perform labs with little direction. This stretches students to think about how to set up their labs, figure out the variables, conduct the lab with controls and analyze the results. Although there is a particular format students follow to write up their lab, the freedom to conduct the lab with little direction helps to fight students beating the game. Furthermore, Mr. Borgueta assigns fun homework assignments as students must read a short article on a particular topic, watch a fun video, and then write about what they learned. Based on what students write about Mr. Borgueta either clarifies any misconceptions or moves to the activity for the day. By providing engaging material that is relevant, Mr. Borgueta curbs students from beating the system.
Mr. Haggerty has grapple exercises where he presents them with a quote or a problem that they have not seen before. Students are then expected to work on the problem with little direction. This allows them to think for themselves in order to construct an answer whether it is right or wrong. Additionally, Mr. Haggerty has creative final assignments that give students the freedom to think creatively. One example is how students needed to create a poem/rap about the universe and stars. This element incorporated writing, rhyming and covered the content thoroughly. This was another assignment that becomes hard to beat, as you need to think about it before just writing. Furthermore, Mr. Haggerty allowed students to present the material and had other students provide meaningful feedback for corrections.
I would like to incorporate all of these techniques into my teaching that so students like myself do not passively learn simply by getting their work done. By preparing assignments and activities that capture student’s attention disruptive and students unwilling to work may decide to participate in learning. By getting all students to participate and remain on task more individual attention can be given to everyone. Additionally, by allowing students the freedom to be creative and engage in meaningful learning activities, I hope to fight the game of school student’s play. After reading Game of School I have a better understanding of the obstacles I may face and what to look for. Through understanding this I can adapt and make necessary changes in my teaching to make sure everyone is on the same playing field. Part of my teaching philosophy involves teaching students how to understand their thinking. This fits in perfectly with beating the game of school concept. In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester to answer at least three of the following questions:
What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements?
How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes?
What features can you plan into your units that might discourage the GOS?
Finally, what impact will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy?
I personally have seen GOS appear in my high school. I notice a lot of students doing the bare minimum to get by. They act as if the classroom is a prison, they throw their backpacks down with such abandon when they enter the classroom and sink into their seats. Most of the students seem to enjoy socially interacting, but in regards to the class whether it is ecology or biology they seem to be going through the motions. The biology course especially seems to be extremely structured. The biology teachers work together to structure the course around the syllabus, following it tightly, creating tests that follow the expectations and questions outlined by the syllabus/unit plan. I feel like this (over) structure has possibly removed some of the creativity on the teacher's parts and has partly enabled the student disinterest. The class itself seems to focused on the test.
I feel like my middle school teacher has done a great job to fight the game of school. To her she goes out of the way to bring about change of pace in her classroom. She brings up interesting ways to present the information and keeps the students engaged. She stresses the importance of the information and passing the tests/assessments but not to the point that the adventure of learning that information is overshadowed by the test.
To discourage the GOS, I want to focus on engagement. I want to avoid the throwing the backpack down. I want my students to feel interested in what comes next in the day by planning enjoyable activities for my students. When the activities may be lacking, I want to plan hooks that pull the students in.
I am more aware of the GOS now after reading this. Since reading it, I will try to be more careful as to avoid falling into the GOS and make efforts to pull my students out of it as well.
Visit #5
October 23, 2013
Chariho Middle School
CT: Stephen Cormier
7th/8th Grade Science
Chariho High School
CT: Jonathan Shehan
10th/11th Physiology, Biology
Observation / Reflection #4: The Game of School
In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester to answer at least three of the following questions:
What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements?
How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes?
What features can you plan into your units that might discourage the GOS?
Finally, what impact will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy?
Observation:
Every teacher wants to passionate and engaging. Every single teacher wants to be involved in discovery and learning and all the other theoretical things that are supposed to be attainable in school. Yet, every single teacher is not passionate, engaged, mindful, and does not offer meaningful assignments or lessons to their students. If that is what every teacher aims to be and represent, then why are there many teachers that fail to reach those levels? According to Ron Fried, author of The Passionate Teacher, these teachers are undermined by various elements that have become commonplace in America's public schools. These elements, such as truly disruptive students, tyrannical administrators, and overcrowded classrooms, become the foundation of what Fried refers to as the "Game of School." The Game of School is a collective mind-set of teachers and students that rejects any intellectual attachment and sincere effort in what they are trying to achieve. Fried mentions that when, "Faced with the stresses of daily life in school, [it can be easier] to pretend to believe rather than to truly believe in the value" of things like writing, reading, thinking, planning, researching, listening, analyzing, and evaluating. (Fried 2001) The elements that make up the Game of School detract from a teacher's focus and creates disengagement, which forces students to play the game.
At Chariho Middle School and Chariho High School, one major element of the game is crushing teachers and pushing students to the breaking point: assessment. Much is being made about standardized tests currently, but it is more than just the NECAP. Common assessments within schools and rigid testing practices from administrators and policy-makers are squeezing instructional time and making it difficult for teachers to teach. The simple fact that before a student can be assessed, the student needs time to learn and internalize new content. Major tests are being thrown at students so rapidly that teachers are having trouble in keeping pace and preparing students.
For the last three weeks, the middle schoolers at Chariho have been NECAP testing. The weeks leading up to the testing were spent in preparing students and teacher's ignoring their curriculum. Because of the long series of tests, teachers are now behind in their classes. This would be bad enough if it were not for the district dictated common assessments for each grade. They are essentially mid-terms at the end of a quarter. Thus, teachers have not had the time to teach content covered in the common assessments because of NECAP testing. All these tests and no time to teach. My middle school cooperating teacher is feeling the pressure and is doing everything possible to prepare his students.
A similar situation is happening over at the high school. Except there is a third test that my high school cooperating teacher needs to administer to his students. This is his own test for the course, and the first three chapters needed to be covered in order for students to be successful on the test. He could not use too many quizzes or other activities because the administration issues a rigid order where tests must account for 40% of a grade and quizzes, homework, etc. can only account for 20% maximum. This leaves my cooperating teacher no room to assess the students. The NECAP steals his instructional time. Finally, the common assessment needs to be given next week like at the middle school.
Reflection:
The continually increasing demand for testing is placing an incredible strain on teachers and creating high levels of stress for students. The environment of testing is a perfect breeding ground for low morale and disengagement: the perfect place for a Game of School. It would be so easy to teach to the test, do worksheets, and call it day. My cooperating teachers, however, seem to be resisting the lure of just giving in to the Game of School. Yes, tests are taking away from instructional time, are narrowing the curriculum, and are leaving students unprepared for what actually matters in school (learning), but my teachers are trying to make the best of the situation.
My middle school cooperating teacher feels the pressure of preparing students for the quarterly common assessment after having little instructional time this October due to NECAP testing, but he is trying to not give in to a Game of School mentality. He keeps lab activities engaging and whole-class discussions meaningful. The only time he expresses frustration is at team meetings. Even when talking to me, the discussions are in a positive manner and are focused on his techniques as a teacher or tips on how to do certain things. As a teacher, I want to promote a philosophy of positivity and security. I want my future students to enjoy being in my classroom, and I want them to feel comfortable enough to express their opinions and ask any questions they may have. Regardless of what is happening to teachers and policy decisions, I want that to stay behind the scenes when I interact and teach my students and not let myself become disengaged from my job. Like how my cooperating teacher is able to do.
My high school cooperating teacher tries to use his own test as a warm-up for the mandated quarterly common assessment. Many of the topics covered in the test are questions that will appear on the common assessment (the assessment used items from various tests in the school prior to creation). My teacher understands that the students are overtested, and he tries to fight the Game by obeying the rigid rules (because he has no choice) but tries to find his own methodology inside them. When I become a teacher, my philosophy will be based on flexibility. I will follow school rules like any good employee does at their job, but I will try to find ways to tailor my instruction that is for the best of my students. When faced with a rigid policy that makes sense in some content circles but lacking of common sense in others, I will try to bend something mandated to fit my students or find a way to somehow make it meaningful.
Sometimes the Game of School is simply placed on teachers. That does not mean teachers have to accept it. Do not play the Game. Beat it. Deborah Husak Observation / Reflection #4: The Game of School In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester to answer atleast three of the following questions:
What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements?
How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes?
What features can you plan into your units that might discourage the GOS?
Finally, what impact will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy?
It is interesting to see the contrast between the college prep and accelerated biology classes. They are each playing the game of school in the ways predicted by Ron Fried in his chapter describing the Game of School but using different strategies. The accelerated biology students are prepared and carefully write down everything the teacher says. They frequently ask for clarification of directions and try to make sure they are doing everything properly. It is evident that they are very concerned about performing well. It is also concerning that they are so focused on pleasing the teacher that they seem less involved in questioning and reasoning through the content. They do not give the impression that they would be willing to challenge a theory or statement in class. They would rather write down the facts and memorize them and continue to do well. They are not risk takers. One accelerated student read his response in class to a question last week which was so well written and comprehensive the teacher and I were openly impressed. He immediately looked to his table apologetically and mumbled something as though he was afraid to appear as though he was showing off. The college prep class takes notes as directed in class but do not always follow every direction or include every detail. They do not appear interested in the content and, despite their notes; several have failed recent quizzes in class. They do not ask for clarification of instruction or content material which gives the impression that they are not motivated to perform well or learn the material.
I was able to be part of a conversation between my CT and another teacher who teaches college prep biology. They do not have adequate co-planning time and had to try to discuss improving their class between classes. My CT was concerned by the poor scores on recent quizzes and suggested that they devise an open note assessment to intrinsically motivate students to take better notes and allow them to evaluate their understanding of the concepts better by asking them to use that information to answer a higher level question. The students are studying carbohydrates, lipids and proteins and the question would require them to identify where each of those are found in a cheeseburger with all the trimmings (tomatoes, lettuce…) and how those will be incorporated into the body.
As I consider how I will teach in the future I will try to counter the tendency to fall into the patterns of the “game of school”. In accelerated classes with students who are motivated to please but afraid to take risks, I would have to challenge them with debatable issues and encourage them to take the content information and use it to support their opinions. I would try to provide opportunity to choose a topic to explore. I would have to ensure that students feel safe asking questions about content and presenting their own opinions. I would like to use groups or pairs to encourage the sharing of ideas. The accelerated students have the potential to be bright leaders of the future but they need to learn that their opinions matter. They can learn to be passionate and take risks in the science classroom. I believe the college prep students are more willing to take risks in the classroom and would try to get them involved in discussions that include making predictions and using the content to validate them. I would try to have many inquiry activities in the classroom and let them discover the facts rather than expecting them to be motivated to memorize the information they need because they are not intrinsically motivated to be high performers.
Observation / Reflection #4: The Game of School
In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester to answer at least three of the following questions:
What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements?
How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes?
What features can you plan into your units that might discourage the GOS?
Finally, what impact will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy?
It is very interesting to me how the teachers respond to particular situations. Some of the teachers that i have had interactions with complain about everything that happens throughout their day. My CT on the other hand deals with things as they come and keeps teaching. She was explaining to me about her SLOs (Student Learning Objectives) and how they can interrupt your teaching day if you allow it to. She doesn't allow it to get in the way of her and her student's learning. Another example of the game in my CT's classroom is evident in one class in particular. This class is called intense resource and it has nine student with IEPs. These students really need individual attention in the classroom. This one class is co-taught with a special educator. It is clear that passing the NECAP test is not the main priority for these students. My CT has settled on the fact that she will do everything in her power to just teach these students how to read, that would be success. She explained to me that that is not enough for what the state mandates but she really has no choice. At every chance possible, she makes her lessons engaging and thought provoking. She mainly does this through life-applicable lessons.
Through watching her, it has been clear to me that all teachers have to remember what their main job is. To Teach. The main office will try to dictate what goes on in the classroom without ever stepping out from behind their desks. As teachers we have to advocate for our students. Their learning is most important for their success and we must never forget that. The GOS will influence my teaching philosophy by reminding me of why i want to be a teacher. I want to make a difference in the lives of the students. They deserve my very best everyday without the distractions of SLOs, NECAP scores, or my evaluation getting in the way of instruction. What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements?
Unfortunately, I see quite a bit of the game of school not only in my placement but in my previous practicums, at my job at an afterschool program, and in my own education. Like Fried states, this is not because these teachers are mean, ignorant, vengeful, etc. In fact, my current CT is kind and caring towards her students and very knowledgeable and passionate about her subject matter, but I see her and the students participate in aspects of the GoS every day. Like I mentioned in previous entries, maintaining order in the class and keeping on schedule is of utmost importance, sometimes at the expense of student’s curiosity/interest in something still science related but not on the syllabus. I imagine that this is probably because my CT and other teachers I’ve had in the past feel pressure to “cover” what they think is required of them and to ensure that their students will perform on standardized tests. I also agree with Fried, that many teachers run their classrooms in this way just to avoid going crazy, by participating in the GoS they are able to keep their students under control and keep themselves from burning out. I see that students are conditioned into performing the routine of doing the “Do Now” and then waiting quietly to complete their classwork, which as long as it appears complete (who cares if you came to the correct answer, you are rewarded for writing anything at all) and was done quietly, you get a check in the gradebook.
How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes? AND What features can you plan into your units that might discourage the GOS?
A key part to the GoS is that students are rewarded just for “showing up.” In my unit and it my future classes, I will have to find a way to evaluate students where quietly doing the minimum does not mean you pass the assignment. In my own experience as a student, I find that I was motivated to do an assignment beyond just getting a good grade when I “owned” the assignment. I think that giving students a choice in what they must do to show they have met a standard, or even letting them design their own assignments is a way to intrinsically motivate many students. I also think that letting the students know that you want to hear their true voices, not what they think you want to hear, and rewarding them for original, creative thought is crucial to not participating in the GoS. In the long run, when these students go on to become scientists, authors, architects, businesspeople, etc., their success will be defined by their creativity, ambition, and originality, so why not start rewarding them for these things at school?
Finally, what impact will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy? One way I think the GoS has really impacted me in my own life is that all throughout school, I rarely had to think creatively for myself. In high school I was one of those “A students” mentioned by Fried that was driven to get good grades and could anticipate what the teacher wanted to hear and fed it right back to them. Only in classes where “what the teacher wanted to hear” was my own voice did I exhibit true creativity or participate in meaningful learning. While this got me an almost perfect GPA throughout high school and college, as I begin to approach the “real world”, I can’t help but feel somewhat unprepared. Now that I’m nearing the stage where I no longer have to turn my work into a teacher or professor, I struggle with what to produce. I feel uneasy about the fact that my merit will no longer be based on a multiple choice test, which I learned to ace by 7th grade, but instead on how I actually perform as an educator of youth. It is my goal to play the game in my own classes as little as possible, so that my students don’t feel cheated by the educational system in the same ways as I do now. In reading this chapter it dawned on me how many similar readings, articles, documentaries, etc. about the GoS professors have presented to us in our EDC classes. In our post-reading discussions, everybody always vows not to become that sort of teacher, either sincerely or as a move in the GoS to increase their participation grade. Clearly, there is a disconnect from when these teachers-to-be make these vows to when they actually become practicing teachers, since the GoS is still so prevalent today. Like Fried, I do not blame these teachers or write them off as the “bad ones” since there are so many pressures that seem to force teachers into playing the game. I hope that by being aware of these pressures, and by being aware that just because they exist does not mean I must submit to playing the game of school, I will be able to resist perpetuating the game in my classes as much as possible.
In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester to answer at
least three of the following questions:
What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements?
How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes?
What features can you plan into your units that might discourage the GOS?
Finally, what impact will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy?
In my middle school, I see it a lot in the warm-up activity. The students are given a warm up activity when they walk into class that is not graded, it is just as an intro to what they will be doing in class. After 5-10 minutes, we go over the warm up together as a class. I see many of the students who don't look at the worksheet until the class does it together. They see that it isn't graded so they do not see why they should put the effort into trying it before we go over it as a class. I also see the GOS in group work activities. There are always the students who take charge and do a lot of the work and there are the students who watch or distract and do not do much of the work. If the teacher does not actively encourage participation from everyone, this will usually happen. My middle school ct walks around during her labs and lessons asking questions and trying to involve all her students so they do not disengage. She also emphasizes organization in her science classroom which I think is important to avoiding GOS. All the students have their own "science journals" that they have directions how to organize. This gets the students to think like scientists and avoid getting around assignments.
In my high school I went on a field trip where the students had to fill out a single sided worksheet about the plants they see, invasive species and the jobs of people they meet. Most students were actively seeking answers for the questions but I did see some students just asking our guide questions strategically for the answers. Also some of the students were trying to look up some of the answers on their phones and sharing answers with each other. The teacher did not really mind because the students were really learning and genuinely intregued with what they were learning so he was happy that it was a fun and educational experience for everyone. The more time I spend in the high school the more GOS i am assuming I will see.
I am 22 years old and in my 5th year of college and this is the first time I have seen this be defined as the "game of school". I have been doing this since probably 5th grade in many of my classes. If there is an easy way to do something (especially in a class I don't like) I find the way. For example, I strongly disliked english classes, I never read the books. I was all about sparknotes, bookrags or wikipedia. Because I am so good at the game of school as a student, I feel as though I can use this to my advantage as a teacher to discourage student's from doing it or by making the game of school more difficult. Its like anything you do, the better you are at something the bigger advantage you have.
I plan on making the GOS hard for students to play. Homework assignments will not be straight from the text. I want students abstractly thinking about what they learned and making real life connections and giving examples. I also will be giving assignments that students will not be able to do in the hallway before class like I have done so many times. For essays and assignments involving science journals, the students will be given paramaders I want them to meet. I dont want them searching for the shortest journal and writing on that one. I will be creating alot of my own assignments for the students so it will be harder for the students to search the question. With technology and the internet continuously expanding, the GOS is getting more and more accessible for both students and teachers. I am willing to put in the extra effort to make school a more intellectual and meaningful education and push my students to put their best foot forward and make it harder for them to skate by.
In just my first two visits to Coventry High School, I have already seen many elements of the game of school taking place. The Teachers there are frequently discussing the pages and pages that they have to write and submit regarding their "SLO's" or Student Learning Goals, the lack of materials/how often their materials are not returned by other teachers/students, and the 4 slow computers that the entire science department has to share in a closet sized space beside the teacher's common area.
Seeing how the teachers overcome these obstacles says a lot more about how much they care than talking about how much they love their jobs ever would. I've been told that science teachers with the large lab-table areas in their rooms will agree to switch rooms for a class period with teachers who have the small cramped rooms with only desks or tables. I was also told that a few years ago, the teachers rallied together and applied for grants to get the roof fixed so that they wouldn't need to put tarps and trash bags over their desks to avoid rain damage. It was really impressive to hear about how much work the teachers had put into making Coventry High School a better environment for learning and working.
From what I have seen in the school, in addition to the article on the GOS, it's clear that a positive attitude combined with successful cooperation with coworkers will be the biggest tools necessary to overcome obstacles. But when I say positive attitude, I mean thinking constructively and creatively, not turning a blind eye to problems and pretending that they don't exist. By combining innovative forces, I believe that teachers can form solid teams at their schools and make school about student learning while still addressing all of the unavoidable hurdles that come with the job. This is what I hope to accomplish.
Observation / Reflection #4: The Game of School
In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester to answer at least three of the following questions:
What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements?
How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes?
What features can you plan into your units that might discourage the GOS?
Finally, what impact will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy?
_
1. The GOS article describes "authoritarian administrators who try to run classrooms from the main office." In my placement, I have seen some tension between classroom teachers and administrators. I sat in on a professional development meeting about testing and evaluation. An administrator explained to the teachers what they needed to put together to turn in to the state to show student growth. The requirements were not the same for all teachers - some had to put together very little information while others had to collect data on hundreds of students. The teachers expressed their concerns that this was not fair and would significantly take away from time they would normally put toward teaching. The administrator in the room told them that there was nothing he could do to make it easier for the teachers that had to do the most work. The teachers seemed frustrated that the quality of their classroom performance could suffer because of the extra work that was placed on them.
2. My cooperating teacher does an excellent job of integrating homework into classroom instruction. She frequently plans lessons that make it very hard for students to actively participate without having done the homework. This encourages students to complete the homework to the best of their abilities before coming to class. Students do not see the homework as a pointless activity because they realize that the knowledge they develop while doing homework will be called upon in class. I have also seen my cooperating teacher use homework answers in team games. Without completing the homework, students cannot contribute to their team's score in the game. The winning team often gets bonus points on an assignment or a piece of candy.
3. I think that integrating homework into everyday lessons, as I have seen my cooperating teacher do, is an effective means of discouraging the GOS. Also, asking students critical-thinking based questions instead of objective questions, when possible, discourages the sharing of answers and memorization while encouraging original thinking. Assigning different versions of homework (ex. same problems with different numerical values) and other assignments also makes the sharing of answers and "beating the system" more difficult.
As describe in the reading, I was one of those students who did the least amount of work possible and the teacher never knew. I completed my work just enough so I was never called on yet never fully completed the assignment. I fully accepted and played the game of school as I was growing up. However, being in Mr. Zabel's class is a whole different experience because I compare my high school teachers to him and realize where they went wrong. He tries to eliminate even the possibility of the game occurring. The projects and homework he assigns aren't just so he can say they have homework. I've realized he rarely gives homework unless it directly relates to the core of the lesson. Unlike in my classes where I was told to read, and never did, he assigns maybe a total of three pages of reading with note taking which then get graded. Graded, is a loosely based term in his class. Seeing his point breakdown is amazing, yet his students never realize their note taking homework is a mere five points. But in high school hearing the term "graded" puts pressure on the students to do it. Reading the assignment for homework didn't directly effect my grades so I put it off for later and my teacher never knew. Recently he has me grade a project and it the grading was so loose but his reasoning was that he wanted the students to learn the cycles by creating them on their own. He explained his students learned better with this project in conjunction with his instruction instead of just his instruction.
In his last period biology class, which is always last period, I see a struggle with his students because the class is so large. The kids are hyped up on sugar after lunch and the class is always a mess, every day, no matter what. In this class he struggles to get through the coursework of his smaller class. It pains him but some days they spend way too much time on a certain topic no matter how many time or different ways he tries to explain it. In this case he caves and moves on because he is so far behind. I've talked to him after class and he hates to do it. He wishes he had all the time in the world to answer ever students question and make sure every student understands. He fights the game of school every time he has this class.
I haven't figured out how I am going to accomplish what I envision for my lesson plan but I plan to "trick" the learning into an engaging activity. I can't count the number of times I have been given a worksheet where I read a page and then answer the questions. I find the questions in the reading, copy them down, and turn it in. Ask me to explain what I wrote down and I can't because I just copied. I want to create an activity where, in order to complete it, students understand the lesson. I think where this can be done is in the probability unit in Mendel. I'm working on an activity where you work in pairs and have popsicle sticks and you make your own "baby." However, this baby is all due to the combination in which the popsicle sticks land. What is the statistics of the baby having blue eyes? Then show me, how many times does the baby have blue eyes if you roll those popsicle sticks ten times?
The game of school in one of my placements is relatively unknown, except for a few instances. The classes I observe are run very much like the Japanese style of schooling mentioned in the Stigler & Hiebert reading in that the students are expected (and given appropriate time to) consider and formulate a response, before engaging in full class instruction about the problem and how it was being solved. Usually, after students had discussed how the problem could be solved, the teacher then corrects any misunderstandings about the material and shows how all the parts are interrelated and go together, while showing the solution to the problem. Students are able to think of a way to both solve and explain the solution to a problem.
In my own unit to discourage inactive education, I plan to integrate activities that require critical thinking and discussion with peers. In order to solve a problem students must be able to consider a subject and defend their arguments with the class, which will encourage dialogue and eventually lead to a place where the educator can take over, highlight the correct features of a student’s input, and eventually show how this concept fits into the web of information the students already possess. Lab sessions, while a very easy way to give in to the Game of Schools ideology, also have a place to completely change it. In one observation, I saw a teacher introduce a lab, put students into groups, and left them to try and figure out how to set up the equipment. When I mentioned the students were having trouble putting together the track for a racecar during a physics lab, she told me today was an exploratory session so the class could figure out the mechanics themselves and have a better idea as to how to proceed next class period.
In another placement, I saw how easy it was to give students the answers to their questions without even realizing you were doing it for them. In another observation I watched a period in which a special education teacher came to assist since there were five to six special education children in the class. Even during easy in-class projects, it was clear the students knew if they asked a question, they would receive an answer that required no more thought. While I was working with a small group of students I taught them how to use a thesaurus and they couldn’t grasp the idea of an adjective or verb to complete writing a poem about an organelle inside a cell. They did not feel the motivation to complete the work, and I understood how it would be easy to just give in and give them the answers just to finish the lesson. It very much reminded me of the example Fried gives when students have the best reader read to a group in class and do the majority of the work. With a very short instructional time per class and the pressure to cover a certain number of standards, it is overall much easier to show your students how to do it rather than having them learn how to do it themselves.
Location: East Providence High SchoolGrade: 10-12 biology (all levels)Date of Visit: October 22, 2013
In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester to answer at
least three of the following questions:
Observation:During the two honors classes that my cooperating teacher instructs, they begin the class by reviewing the previous night's homework. They spend the first five to ten minutes doing this activity. The students were then instructed to take notes from the textbooks in the back of the classroom for the remainder of the period. This note-taking exercise progresses for about an hour, as the school has block scheduling but there are no bells to signal the official start or end of classes. This took place in both honors classes on two different occasions on which I visited. However, the atmosphere in the college prep and collaborative classes, which comprise the rest of my teacher's schedule, are very different. The teacher and her co-teacher (a special educator) do active readings, in-class activities, and guided note-taking with graphic organizers.
Reflection:I found my experience at East Providence to be quite paradoxical. On one hand, my cooperating teacher seems to be writing the manual for the "game of school" with the honors classes and then burning that manual in the lower-level classes. The honors students are expected to take their own notes and study materials, and for the most part they do. I personally think that they are wasting precious amounts of class time doing this work. Note-taking skills are extremely important, especially for college preparedness, but it shouldn't encompass the overwhelming majority of class time on a regular basis. In contrast, the middle and lower-level classes did many more activities that involved cooperative learning and active discussion of the content being delivered. These students showed much less boredom in class and overall grasped the content better. It is important to note that at this particular school, many of these policies are mandated by the school administration due to the new implementation of the Common Core State Standards. In order to discourage a hypothetical representation of the "game of school" in my unit plan, I intend to incorporate methods that are unlikely to be utilized in other classrooms. For example, one of my lessons involves making a "biome in a box," an activity where students will reconstruct the atmospheric and climatic conditions of different biomes in a shoe box using materials such as dirt, sand, and water. In regards to my approach to teaching as expressed in my teaching philosophy, this description of the "game of school" further supports my enthusiasm and penchant for inquiry-based laboratory learning. By doing hands-on activities that are unique and intriguing to students, they will hopefully be captivated by the content material and take something meaningful away from my lessons.
In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester to answer at
least three of the following questions:
Thus far in my placement I have seen multiple elements from the game of school play out in my classroom. From the students taking any and every opportunity to interject a topic other than the content under discussion, to students using computers for Facebook when they are supposed to be working on assignments. Sometimes my Ct will go along with the attempts to foil learning such as on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. He realized years before that due to the high level of excitement generated by the cross river rivalry football game with Stonington High School and all of the attendant pep rallies and activities that no content work gets done. ON this day he hands out a work sheet that is due on the Monday after Thanksgiving, the students are encouraged to work on it in class but few do, the talk of the period is of beating the bears, decorating football players lockers, the upcoming pep rally any thing except biology..
Then there are days when he totally refuses to "play" the game of school. On those days when the kids attempt to distract him away from teaching content he turns the inquiry into a science related question. So if a student tries to talk about sports he will being the conversation to the science behind the game. It is educational and fun to watch him shut down attempts to play the game of school.
Observation: In Mrs. Malone's class at Westerly High, I do get the sense that the Game of Schools is being played. The students come in and either listen to a lecture, or do class work that seems to me to be generally busy work. However, the students do not act as if the class is the worst thing in the world. In fact, for the most part, Mrs. Malone's students are hard workers who do what they need to do when they need to do it. Though this may be due to the fact that she teaches mostly honors level classes. I do observe students only doing the minimal work though in most of her classes. That is not true in her hardest class, honors anatomy. These students all seem very eager to learn and take copious notes during a class, even when the entire class is in the lecture format. Also, while watching Mrs. Malone teach, it is apparent that she is not trying very hard to excite or interest her students in any way. She simply teaches them what they need to know. Therefore, I would not say that I have witnessed Mrs. Malone fight the Game of School, but rather take part in it. However, she does not take part in it in an awful way, but simply is a more stern teacher who always puts classwork first.
This is far from what I observe in my middle school placement at Exeter-West Greenwich. Mrs. Brocato actively tries to make her lessons more interesting and fun for her students. She does this through various means including engaging group work, the use of drawing or using models, technology, and meaningful class discussions. In these ways, Mrs. Brocato is fighting the Game of School. Her students are attentive and constantly willing to volunteer information when asked questions. They also seem to enjoy many aspects of class. That is not to say that every student acts in this way. There are still a few students who are definitely playing the Game of School. These students generally do not raise their hands and only do the bare minimum to get by, if that. Thankfully though, these students are the minority in Mrs. Brocato's classroom.
Reflection: In all honesty, this article on the Game of Schools has added to my already growing concerns about the education system. I am finding in my last year of URI that being a teacher is not what I had thought it would be when I enrolled in the school of education. In high school I always connected most with those teachers who seemed to really enjoy teaching, and who had fun and engaging lessons. But did those teachers only teach that way because they already had tenure and started teaching when education was different? How can new teachers hope to have a fun and meaningful career in education when new standards and new systems are constantly being pushed to stifle creativity, focus on test scores, and demand that teachers reach every single student or lose their job? When I listen to my cooperating teachers talk to other teachers, it seems like all they do is complain about the administration, standards, and students. I never hear them praise students, but only talk about the ones that are trouble. I hear them constantly talk about all the extra work they have to do to meet the needs of students that should be taught by a special educator, and not with all of the other students. I hear how they have almost no time to spend with their families or do anything other than school work. But most importantly is what I do not hear. I do not hear any enjoyment from teaching. I do not hear anything positive at all..
What features can I include in my lesson plan to fight the Game of Schools? Well, that is an interesting question. I suppose I could try acting and being super energetic and creative like David Burgess. But on top of all the extra work that standards are forcing teachers to do nowadays, will that leave me with any time to spend with my family? I do not know. If I do continue with education, I would try my best to include interesting group work that requires complex thinking and creativity. I would also try to include many interesting visuals and videos to excite them about science. Most importantly I would stress upon them the wonders of the natural world, and how amazing science can be. For instance, ins't it astounding that we are made up of trillions of cells, that all work together to keep us alive? I would do all those things if I continue with education. The problem is I am no longer sure that education is something I want to be a part of. If this is how bad our education system is now, then how bad will it be five years from now, or ten? Will the higher ups in education continue to crush creativity? Will they demand that every single student pass standardized tests and punish the teachers if this does not happen? I am starting to think that they will, and that education will never be what it once was.
Observation / Reflection #4: The Game of School
In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engages in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester to answer at
least three of the following questions:
1.) What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements?
2.) How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes?
3.) What features can you plan into your units that might discourage the GOS?
4.) Finally, what impacts will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy?
Observation/Reflection:
“It’s as though by the middle of first grade they’ve already figured out that school-or at least homework- is a trick, something to learn how to get around.” This quote in Ron Fried’s Game of School hit home as I did this all throughout my academic career until now. I have always been a poor reader and if any reading assignments were given I would find a way to get around it. I always passed but never really took anything away from the assignments except for figuring out how to beat the system. It is a skill in itself, but one that can detract from real growth in learning a skill such as reading, writing and analyzing.
There are many students like myself in schools today who will always look for a way to beat a system or game. Both of my cooperating teachers fight the game of school in their classes everyday. Mr. Borgueta assigns work that must be done thoroughly as students perform labs with little direction. This stretches students to think about how to set up their labs, figure out the variables, conduct the lab with controls and analyze the results. Although there is a particular format students follow to write up their lab, the freedom to conduct the lab with little direction helps to fight students beating the game. Furthermore, Mr. Borgueta assigns fun homework assignments as students must read a short article on a particular topic, watch a fun video, and then write about what they learned. Based on what students write about Mr. Borgueta either clarifies any misconceptions or moves to the activity for the day. By providing engaging material that is relevant, Mr. Borgueta curbs students from beating the system.
Mr. Haggerty has grapple exercises where he presents them with a quote or a problem that they have not seen before. Students are then expected to work on the problem with little direction. This allows them to think for themselves in order to construct an answer whether it is right or wrong. Additionally, Mr. Haggerty has creative final assignments that give students the freedom to think creatively. One example is how students needed to create a poem/rap about the universe and stars. This element incorporated writing, rhyming and covered the content thoroughly. This was another assignment that becomes hard to beat, as you need to think about it before just writing. Furthermore, Mr. Haggerty allowed students to present the material and had other students provide meaningful feedback for corrections.
I would like to incorporate all of these techniques into my teaching that so students like myself do not passively learn simply by getting their work done. By preparing assignments and activities that capture student’s attention disruptive and students unwilling to work may decide to participate in learning. By getting all students to participate and remain on task more individual attention can be given to everyone. Additionally, by allowing students the freedom to be creative and engage in meaningful learning activities, I hope to fight the game of school student’s play. After reading Game of School I have a better understanding of the obstacles I may face and what to look for. Through understanding this I can adapt and make necessary changes in my teaching to make sure everyone is on the same playing field. Part of my teaching philosophy involves teaching students how to understand their thinking. This fits in perfectly with beating the game of school concept.
In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester to answer at
least three of the following questions:
I personally have seen GOS appear in my high school. I notice a lot of students doing the bare minimum to get by. They act as if the classroom is a prison, they throw their backpacks down with such abandon when they enter the classroom and sink into their seats. Most of the students seem to enjoy socially interacting, but in regards to the class whether it is ecology or biology they seem to be going through the motions. The biology course especially seems to be extremely structured. The biology teachers work together to structure the course around the syllabus, following it tightly, creating tests that follow the expectations and questions outlined by the syllabus/unit plan. I feel like this (over) structure has possibly removed some of the creativity on the teacher's parts and has partly enabled the student disinterest. The class itself seems to focused on the test.
I feel like my middle school teacher has done a great job to fight the game of school. To her she goes out of the way to bring about change of pace in her classroom. She brings up interesting ways to present the information and keeps the students engaged. She stresses the importance of the information and passing the tests/assessments but not to the point that the adventure of learning that information is overshadowed by the test.
To discourage the GOS, I want to focus on engagement. I want to avoid the throwing the backpack down. I want my students to feel interested in what comes next in the day by planning enjoyable activities for my students. When the activities may be lacking, I want to plan hooks that pull the students in.
I am more aware of the GOS now after reading this. Since reading it, I will try to be more careful as to avoid falling into the GOS and make efforts to pull my students out of it as well.
Visit #5
October 23, 2013Chariho Middle School
CT: Stephen Cormier
7th/8th Grade Science
Chariho High School
CT: Jonathan Shehan
10th/11th Physiology, Biology
Observation / Reflection #4: The Game of School
In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester to answer atleast three of the following questions:
Observation:
Every teacher wants to passionate and engaging. Every single teacher wants to be involved in discovery and learning and all the other theoretical things that are supposed to be attainable in school. Yet, every single teacher is not passionate, engaged, mindful, and does not offer meaningful assignments or lessons to their students. If that is what every teacher aims to be and represent, then why are there many teachers that fail to reach those levels? According to Ron Fried, author of The Passionate Teacher, these teachers are undermined by various elements that have become commonplace in America's public schools. These elements, such as truly disruptive students, tyrannical administrators, and overcrowded classrooms, become the foundation of what Fried refers to as the "Game of School." The Game of School is a collective mind-set of teachers and students that rejects any intellectual attachment and sincere effort in what they are trying to achieve. Fried mentions that when, "Faced with the stresses of daily life in school, [it can be easier] to pretend to believe rather than to truly believe in the value" of things like writing, reading, thinking, planning, researching, listening, analyzing, and evaluating. (Fried 2001) The elements that make up the Game of School detract from a teacher's focus and creates disengagement, which forces students to play the game.
At Chariho Middle School and Chariho High School, one major element of the game is crushing teachers and pushing students to the breaking point: assessment. Much is being made about standardized tests currently, but it is more than just the NECAP. Common assessments within schools and rigid testing practices from administrators and policy-makers are squeezing instructional time and making it difficult for teachers to teach. The simple fact that before a student can be assessed, the student needs time to learn and internalize new content. Major tests are being thrown at students so rapidly that teachers are having trouble in keeping pace and preparing students.
For the last three weeks, the middle schoolers at Chariho have been NECAP testing. The weeks leading up to the testing were spent in preparing students and teacher's ignoring their curriculum. Because of the long series of tests, teachers are now behind in their classes. This would be bad enough if it were not for the district dictated common assessments for each grade. They are essentially mid-terms at the end of a quarter. Thus, teachers have not had the time to teach content covered in the common assessments because of NECAP testing. All these tests and no time to teach. My middle school cooperating teacher is feeling the pressure and is doing everything possible to prepare his students.
A similar situation is happening over at the high school. Except there is a third test that my high school cooperating teacher needs to administer to his students. This is his own test for the course, and the first three chapters needed to be covered in order for students to be successful on the test. He could not use too many quizzes or other activities because the administration issues a rigid order where tests must account for 40% of a grade and quizzes, homework, etc. can only account for 20% maximum. This leaves my cooperating teacher no room to assess the students. The NECAP steals his instructional time. Finally, the common assessment needs to be given next week like at the middle school.
Reflection:
The continually increasing demand for testing is placing an incredible strain on teachers and creating high levels of stress for students. The environment of testing is a perfect breeding ground for low morale and disengagement: the perfect place for a Game of School. It would be so easy to teach to the test, do worksheets, and call it day. My cooperating teachers, however, seem to be resisting the lure of just giving in to the Game of School. Yes, tests are taking away from instructional time, are narrowing the curriculum, and are leaving students unprepared for what actually matters in school (learning), but my teachers are trying to make the best of the situation.
My middle school cooperating teacher feels the pressure of preparing students for the quarterly common assessment after having little instructional time this October due to NECAP testing, but he is trying to not give in to a Game of School mentality. He keeps lab activities engaging and whole-class discussions meaningful. The only time he expresses frustration is at team meetings. Even when talking to me, the discussions are in a positive manner and are focused on his techniques as a teacher or tips on how to do certain things. As a teacher, I want to promote a philosophy of positivity and security. I want my future students to enjoy being in my classroom, and I want them to feel comfortable enough to express their opinions and ask any questions they may have. Regardless of what is happening to teachers and policy decisions, I want that to stay behind the scenes when I interact and teach my students and not let myself become disengaged from my job. Like how my cooperating teacher is able to do.
My high school cooperating teacher tries to use his own test as a warm-up for the mandated quarterly common assessment. Many of the topics covered in the test are questions that will appear on the common assessment (the assessment used items from various tests in the school prior to creation). My teacher understands that the students are overtested, and he tries to fight the Game by obeying the rigid rules (because he has no choice) but tries to find his own methodology inside them. When I become a teacher, my philosophy will be based on flexibility. I will follow school rules like any good employee does at their job, but I will try to find ways to tailor my instruction that is for the best of my students. When faced with a rigid policy that makes sense in some content circles but lacking of common sense in others, I will try to bend something mandated to fit my students or find a way to somehow make it meaningful.
Sometimes the Game of School is simply placed on teachers. That does not mean teachers have to accept it. Do not play the Game. Beat it.
Deborah Husak
Observation / Reflection #4: The Game of School
In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester to answer atleast three of the following questions:
It is interesting to see the contrast between the college prep and accelerated biology classes. They are each playing the game of school in the ways predicted by Ron Fried in his chapter describing the Game of School but using different strategies. The accelerated biology students are prepared and carefully write down everything the teacher says. They frequently ask for clarification of directions and try to make sure they are doing everything properly. It is evident that they are very concerned about performing well. It is also concerning that they are so focused on pleasing the teacher that they seem less involved in questioning and reasoning through the content. They do not give the impression that they would be willing to challenge a theory or statement in class. They would rather write down the facts and memorize them and continue to do well. They are not risk takers. One accelerated student read his response in class to a question last week which was so well written and comprehensive the teacher and I were openly impressed. He immediately looked to his table apologetically and mumbled something as though he was afraid to appear as though he was showing off. The college prep class takes notes as directed in class but do not always follow every direction or include every detail. They do not appear interested in the content and, despite their notes; several have failed recent quizzes in class. They do not ask for clarification of instruction or content material which gives the impression that they are not motivated to perform well or learn the material.
I was able to be part of a conversation between my CT and another teacher who teaches college prep biology. They do not have adequate co-planning time and had to try to discuss improving their class between classes. My CT was concerned by the poor scores on recent quizzes and suggested that they devise an open note assessment to intrinsically motivate students to take better notes and allow them to evaluate their understanding of the concepts better by asking them to use that information to answer a higher level question. The students are studying carbohydrates, lipids and proteins and the question would require them to identify where each of those are found in a cheeseburger with all the trimmings (tomatoes, lettuce…) and how those will be incorporated into the body.
As I consider how I will teach in the future I will try to counter the tendency to fall into the patterns of the “game of school”. In accelerated classes with students who are motivated to please but afraid to take risks, I would have to challenge them with debatable issues and encourage them to take the content information and use it to support their opinions. I would try to provide opportunity to choose a topic to explore. I would have to ensure that students feel safe asking questions about content and presenting their own opinions. I would like to use groups or pairs to encourage the sharing of ideas. The accelerated students have the potential to be bright leaders of the future but they need to learn that their opinions matter. They can learn to be passionate and take risks in the science classroom. I believe the college prep students are more willing to take risks in the classroom and would try to get them involved in discussions that include making predictions and using the content to validate them. I would try to have many inquiry activities in the classroom and let them discover the facts rather than expecting them to be motivated to memorize the information they need because they are not intrinsically motivated to be high performers.
Observation / Reflection #4: The Game of School
In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester to answer atleast three of the following questions:
It is very interesting to me how the teachers respond to particular situations. Some of the teachers that i have had interactions with complain about everything that happens throughout their day. My CT on the other hand deals with things as they come and keeps teaching. She was explaining to me about her SLOs (Student Learning Objectives) and how they can interrupt your teaching day if you allow it to. She doesn't allow it to get in the way of her and her student's learning. Another example of the game in my CT's classroom is evident in one class in particular. This class is called intense resource and it has nine student with IEPs. These students really need individual attention in the classroom. This one class is co-taught with a special educator. It is clear that passing the NECAP test is not the main priority for these students. My CT has settled on the fact that she will do everything in her power to just teach these students how to read, that would be success. She explained to me that that is not enough for what the state mandates but she really has no choice. At every chance possible, she makes her lessons engaging and thought provoking. She mainly does this through life-applicable lessons.
Through watching her, it has been clear to me that all teachers have to remember what their main job is. To Teach. The main office will try to dictate what goes on in the classroom without ever stepping out from behind their desks. As teachers we have to advocate for our students. Their learning is most important for their success and we must never forget that. The GOS will influence my teaching philosophy by reminding me of why i want to be a teacher. I want to make a difference in the lives of the students. They deserve my very best everyday without the distractions of SLOs, NECAP scores, or my evaluation getting in the way of instruction.
What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements?
Unfortunately, I see quite a bit of the game of school not only in my placement but in my previous practicums, at my job at an afterschool program, and in my own education. Like Fried states, this is not because these teachers are mean, ignorant, vengeful, etc. In fact, my current CT is kind and caring towards her students and very knowledgeable and passionate about her subject matter, but I see her and the students participate in aspects of the GoS every day. Like I mentioned in previous entries, maintaining order in the class and keeping on schedule is of utmost importance, sometimes at the expense of student’s curiosity/interest in something still science related but not on the syllabus. I imagine that this is probably because my CT and other teachers I’ve had in the past feel pressure to “cover” what they think is required of them and to ensure that their students will perform on standardized tests. I also agree with Fried, that many teachers run their classrooms in this way just to avoid going crazy, by participating in the GoS they are able to keep their students under control and keep themselves from burning out. I see that students are conditioned into performing the routine of doing the “Do Now” and then waiting quietly to complete their classwork, which as long as it appears complete (who cares if you came to the correct answer, you are rewarded for writing anything at all) and was done quietly, you get a check in the gradebook.
How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes? AND What features can you plan into your units that might discourage the GOS?
A key part to the GoS is that students are rewarded just for “showing up.” In my unit and it my future classes, I will have to find a way to evaluate students where quietly doing the minimum does not mean you pass the assignment. In my own experience as a student, I find that I was motivated to do an assignment beyond just getting a good grade when I “owned” the assignment. I think that giving students a choice in what they must do to show they have met a standard, or even letting them design their own assignments is a way to intrinsically motivate many students. I also think that letting the students know that you want to hear their true voices, not what they think you want to hear, and rewarding them for original, creative thought is crucial to not participating in the GoS. In the long run, when these students go on to become scientists, authors, architects, businesspeople, etc., their success will be defined by their creativity, ambition, and originality, so why not start rewarding them for these things at school?
Finally, what impact will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy?
One way I think the GoS has really impacted me in my own life is that all throughout school, I rarely had to think creatively for myself. In high school I was one of those “A students” mentioned by Fried that was driven to get good grades and could anticipate what the teacher wanted to hear and fed it right back to them. Only in classes where “what the teacher wanted to hear” was my own voice did I exhibit true creativity or participate in meaningful learning. While this got me an almost perfect GPA throughout high school and college, as I begin to approach the “real world”, I can’t help but feel somewhat unprepared. Now that I’m nearing the stage where I no longer have to turn my work into a teacher or professor, I struggle with what to produce. I feel uneasy about the fact that my merit will no longer be based on a multiple choice test, which I learned to ace by 7th grade, but instead on how I actually perform as an educator of youth. It is my goal to play the game in my own classes as little as possible, so that my students don’t feel cheated by the educational system in the same ways as I do now. In reading this chapter it dawned on me how many similar readings, articles, documentaries, etc. about the GoS professors have presented to us in our EDC classes. In our post-reading discussions, everybody always vows not to become that sort of teacher, either sincerely or as a move in the GoS to increase their participation grade. Clearly, there is a disconnect from when these teachers-to-be make these vows to when they actually become practicing teachers, since the GoS is still so prevalent today. Like Fried, I do not blame these teachers or write them off as the “bad ones” since there are so many pressures that seem to force teachers into playing the game. I hope that by being aware of these pressures, and by being aware that just because they exist does not mean I must submit to playing the game of school, I will be able to resist perpetuating the game in my classes as much as possible.
In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester to answer at
least three of the following questions:
In my middle school, I see it a lot in the warm-up activity. The students are given a warm up activity when they walk into class that is not graded, it is just as an intro to what they will be doing in class. After 5-10 minutes, we go over the warm up together as a class. I see many of the students who don't look at the worksheet until the class does it together. They see that it isn't graded so they do not see why they should put the effort into trying it before we go over it as a class. I also see the GOS in group work activities. There are always the students who take charge and do a lot of the work and there are the students who watch or distract and do not do much of the work. If the teacher does not actively encourage participation from everyone, this will usually happen. My middle school ct walks around during her labs and lessons asking questions and trying to involve all her students so they do not disengage. She also emphasizes organization in her science classroom which I think is important to avoiding GOS. All the students have their own "science journals" that they have directions how to organize. This gets the students to think like scientists and avoid getting around assignments.
In my high school I went on a field trip where the students had to fill out a single sided worksheet about the plants they see, invasive species and the jobs of people they meet. Most students were actively seeking answers for the questions but I did see some students just asking our guide questions strategically for the answers. Also some of the students were trying to look up some of the answers on their phones and sharing answers with each other. The teacher did not really mind because the students were really learning and genuinely intregued with what they were learning so he was happy that it was a fun and educational experience for everyone. The more time I spend in the high school the more GOS i am assuming I will see.
I am 22 years old and in my 5th year of college and this is the first time I have seen this be defined as the "game of school". I have been doing this since probably 5th grade in many of my classes. If there is an easy way to do something (especially in a class I don't like) I find the way. For example, I strongly disliked english classes, I never read the books. I was all about sparknotes, bookrags or wikipedia. Because I am so good at the game of school as a student, I feel as though I can use this to my advantage as a teacher to discourage student's from doing it or by making the game of school more difficult. Its like anything you do, the better you are at something the bigger advantage you have.
I plan on making the GOS hard for students to play. Homework assignments will not be straight from the text. I want students abstractly thinking about what they learned and making real life connections and giving examples. I also will be giving assignments that students will not be able to do in the hallway before class like I have done so many times. For essays and assignments involving science journals, the students will be given paramaders I want them to meet. I dont want them searching for the shortest journal and writing on that one. I will be creating alot of my own assignments for the students so it will be harder for the students to search the question. With technology and the internet continuously expanding, the GOS is getting more and more accessible for both students and teachers. I am willing to put in the extra effort to make school a more intellectual and meaningful education and push my students to put their best foot forward and make it harder for them to skate by.
In just my first two visits to Coventry High School, I have already seen many elements of the game of school taking place. The Teachers there are frequently discussing the pages and pages that they have to write and submit regarding their "SLO's" or Student Learning Goals, the lack of materials/how often their materials are not returned by other teachers/students, and the 4 slow computers that the entire science department has to share in a closet sized space beside the teacher's common area.
Seeing how the teachers overcome these obstacles says a lot more about how much they care than talking about how much they love their jobs ever would. I've been told that science teachers with the large lab-table areas in their rooms will agree to switch rooms for a class period with teachers who have the small cramped rooms with only desks or tables. I was also told that a few years ago, the teachers rallied together and applied for grants to get the roof fixed so that they wouldn't need to put tarps and trash bags over their desks to avoid rain damage. It was really impressive to hear about how much work the teachers had put into making Coventry High School a better environment for learning and working.
From what I have seen in the school, in addition to the article on the GOS, it's clear that a positive attitude combined with successful cooperation with coworkers will be the biggest tools necessary to overcome obstacles. But when I say positive attitude, I mean thinking constructively and creatively, not turning a blind eye to problems and pretending that they don't exist. By combining innovative forces, I believe that teachers can form solid teams at their schools and make school about student learning while still addressing all of the unavoidable hurdles that come with the job. This is what I hope to accomplish.
Observation / Reflection #4: The Game of School
In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester to answer at
least three of the following questions:
- What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements?
- How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes?
- What features can you plan into your units that might discourage the GOS?
- Finally, what impact will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy?
_1. The GOS article describes "authoritarian administrators who try to run classrooms from the main office." In my placement, I have seen some tension between classroom teachers and administrators. I sat in on a professional development meeting about testing and evaluation. An administrator explained to the teachers what they needed to put together to turn in to the state to show student growth. The requirements were not the same for all teachers - some had to put together very little information while others had to collect data on hundreds of students. The teachers expressed their concerns that this was not fair and would significantly take away from time they would normally put toward teaching. The administrator in the room told them that there was nothing he could do to make it easier for the teachers that had to do the most work. The teachers seemed frustrated that the quality of their classroom performance could suffer because of the extra work that was placed on them.
2. My cooperating teacher does an excellent job of integrating homework into classroom instruction. She frequently plans lessons that make it very hard for students to actively participate without having done the homework. This encourages students to complete the homework to the best of their abilities before coming to class. Students do not see the homework as a pointless activity because they realize that the knowledge they develop while doing homework will be called upon in class. I have also seen my cooperating teacher use homework answers in team games. Without completing the homework, students cannot contribute to their team's score in the game. The winning team often gets bonus points on an assignment or a piece of candy.
3. I think that integrating homework into everyday lessons, as I have seen my cooperating teacher do, is an effective means of discouraging the GOS. Also, asking students critical-thinking based questions instead of objective questions, when possible, discourages the sharing of answers and memorization while encouraging original thinking. Assigning different versions of homework (ex. same problems with different numerical values) and other assignments also makes the sharing of answers and "beating the system" more difficult.